MUNDY TWP., Michigan — Officials have made up their minds on how they’d like to see a highway expansion that has been called a major economic development tool become a reality.

The proposed $272.5 million expansion would include a new freeway coming out of I-475, which would snake across Fenton and Cook roads before connecting into U.S. 23 at Baldwin Road.

This plan was unveiled by officials from the Genesee County Metropolitan Planning Commission and The Corradino Group of Michigan at a public input session Wednesday night.

"When we started this project, the key issue was how we could connect I-475 with U.S. 23, and what the best way to do that was," said Joe Corradino, project manager with The Corradino Group of Michigan. "We tried to do that."

The idea of connecting I-475 with U.S. 23 is not a new idea — it is something that has been discussed almost since the existing portion of I-475 was built — but this is the closest officials have gotten to determining exactly how it would be done, and it’s causing some residents to panic.

"I'm not understanding why there isn't a better place to put the connection," said Grand Blanc resident Andrea Calvert, who lives near where the freeway would cross across Fenton Road. "There's neighborhoods full of families, and we have children -- just by saying you want to put this expressway in our backyards, you've probably lowered our property values and made it impossible to sell our homes."

And Grand Blanc resident Scott Bennett said he was skeptical of the plan.

"Our roads aren't maintained in Genesee County...we might get money to build this from federal government, but maintaining it is another thing," he said.

But officials have been advocating extending the expressway for years, saying not only would the extension improve travel for local residents, but it would be helpful for those coming to Genesys Regional Medical Center or Flint’s Bishop International Airport and could help boost economic development in the area.

And Corradino said he envisions a medical campus emerging in the square between Baldwin Road, Holly Road, I-75 and Consumers Energy roadway, which would be used for educational, research and medical purposes.

The Corradino Group of Michigan recently completed a study that outlined five main options for improving the road system — none of which were ultimately chosen. The main options were:

• Connect I-475 to US-23 at a point just north of Grand Blanc Road.

• Upgrade the Baldwin Road corridor and provide a new interchange at U.S. 23.

• Connect I-475 with US-23 at Thompson Road.

• Extend Dort Highway and improve the Baldwin Road corridor connection with U.S. 23. A connector would be built between the Dort Highway interchange with I-75 and Baldwin Road.

• No connection from I-475 to U.S. 23, but improvement to several local roads. This alternative would add lanes to Hill, Grand Blanc and Baldwin roads, which would improve east-west travel.

But a steering committee, composed of members from local municipalities and businesses, took these plans and tweaked them slightly, creating the option that was presented Wednesday, which they said made the most sense, Corradino said.

And although there is no funding yet dedicated to the project, officials have made a tentative timeline. Officials have divided the project into four stages -- the first two being improvements to Dort Highway and Baldwin Road, which would occur before the connector freeway was constructed. Work on these stages would take place between 2015 and 2024, and would be tied with the proposed medical center.

The construction of the connector freeway then would be the last two steps, and work would begin on these stages in about 2025, officials said.